Topics

Curfew Tower: Shields of Destiny exhibition

Over the course of 2013, eleven Spike Associates each undertook a 3-week residency at The Curfew Tower in Cushendall, Northern Ireland. Shields of Destiny is an exhibition of the work they produced there which will be displayed at the Curfew Tower on Wednesday 6 August, as part of the Heart of the Glens Festival.

Shields of Destiny is the name of a Celtic knot signifying protection and known to ward off negative energy. It has distinct corners, a definitive perimeter and a pattern without a clear beginning or end -a formula that resonates with the initial premise of the Curfew Tower. Found on an expedition of Bill Drummond’s; he set out to find a beacon, a destination that he believed could project an image which might initiate change, ward off extremity, keep a settlement safe and nurture creative and free thought. The Tower became this beacon and since 1999 has been running as an artists’ residency space overseen its trustees Bill Drummond, Marcus Patton, Susan Phillipsz and John Hirst.

Acting as a shield, the Tower provided shelter and safety, facilitating an abundance of creative leverage and becoming a ‘viewfinder’. The Tower also stands as a locus of memory, a meeting point and a landmark drenched in both political and mythical history. All of which became the basis of the artists’ investigation and documentation of a place, action, time, and a séance to their own subjectivism.

The exhibition includes work both inside and around the tower by the following Spike Associate artists;

Spike Island

Spike Island is an international centre for the
development of contemporary art and design.
A vibrant hub for production, presentation
and debate, it invites audiences to engage
directly with creative practices through
participation and discussion.